Don't Hide From Me
by sdragon19
Summary: Hermione and Ginny receive a mysterious item with great powers and Lucius Malfoy wants it. Fearing for thier lives they are forced into hiding under Auror protection. When Harry is assigned to protect Ginny the past can't help but come back to them.
1. Chapter 1

"I said no and I meant no."

"Ginny, you don't have a choice these are direct orders from the Minister of Magic."

"Don't pull that on me, Ronald Weasley. I don't care what Dad said I am not going!" Ginny hated the way she sounded so much like a petulant child, but she was desperate.

Under most circumstances, Ron would have backed down from the fierce look in his sister's eyes, but these circumstances were anything but normal. "Ginny…" he began in a softer tone.

"No! I don't need Harry bloody Potter to rush in and save me again. I had enough of that for this lifetime."

"So, you would rather die, is that it? You would rather risk your life and the life of my wife, your best friend, because you had your heart broken when you were barely old enough—" The smack that followed his diatribe was well deserved, but it still stung like hell.

"I am not some stupid little girl with a stupid little crush. How dare you presume to know how I feel?" She could feel the tears welling in her eyes. She resolutely ignored them. He wouldn't make her cry. Whether she was thinking of Harry or Ron, she wasn't quite sure.

Ron quickly backtracked, changing tactics. "Look, I was way off there, you know? But this is serious, Ginny and I'm scared. I'm scared for you and I'm scared for Hermione." He pushed his hair off his forehead distractedly as he began pacing the floor. "You have to go and it has to be with Harry."

"Please, Ron not with him, anybody but him." Ginny could feel the fight leaving her, literally feel it flow out of her in great waves until all that was left was a quiet desperation. They wouldn't do this to her, they couldn't do this to her.

Ron stared at the scratched and scarred surface of the kitchen table struggling to order his mind. He could deal with a defiant Ginny, the screaming, yelling, hellcat Ginny, but a beaten, crying Ginny he didn't know what to do with that. He moved around the table and put his arms around her shaking shoulders. Both redheads stared out the kitchen window taking in the view of their childhood, memories of happier times at the Burrow flashing through their minds. It was a while before either spoke.

"Ginny, it has to be him. I can't go with you…Hermione…"

"I know, Ron." Ginny turned in her brother's arms searching his blue eyes, not quite knowing what she was looking for. "Isn't there anyone else?"

Ron shook his head. "He is the best and you know it. There is no one else."

Ginny released a bitter laugh. "There never has been has there?"

Six months ago, had someone told Ginny Weasley that she would be packing her bags to go into hiding with Harry Potter, she would have laughed in their face before hexing them senseless. It was with a surreal sense that she began placing the most important items in her possession into a small case to begin that very journey. Had she known that accepting a position as Hermione Granger's assistant would have led to this she would have ran as far as her legs could carry her and never looked back. But she hadn't known and so she began down the path that led her to this…fiasco for lack of a more appropriate word.

After the war, Hermione had begun working for the ministry in the Department of Mysteries, researching who knows what, but about a year ago, Hermione suddenly quit her job stating that she could no longer tolerate the closed-minded politics that dictated her every move. She wanted to be free to research independently. To study what she choose and be free to do what she wanted with her findings. Ron had supported her and with her husband's blessing and the money she received from her parent's estate upon their death, she set up an independent laboratory.

Ginny had been dissatisfied with her own job at the ministry dealing with experimental charms and had been looking for something different. Hermione had offered her a job aiding her in her research. Ginny had to admit even now after everything had gone as wrong as it possibly could, that working with Hermione had been both enjoyable and rewarding at the same time.

Two months ago, they had received the ring. That's how Ginny now thought of it, _the ring_ Luna Lovegood, whom both women had remained close to after all these years, had brought it into Hermione's office after a recent expedition to the Swiss Alps, where she and her father had been searching for some mythical creature or another. Luna said she found the ring in a cave and she could sense the magic within it. Ginny and Hermione agreed that the artifact was definitely worth studying; the aura around it was powerful, magnetic.

The simplicity of the ring was deceptive, consisting of a thin gold band and topped with a heavy red stone unlike anything they had ever seen. It had taken almost a month of research before they came across their first clue in an obscure historical text: _It was on this day that Mandalia, the most feared witch of her time, died. Her ring with its beautiful red stone was never seen again._ It wasn't much, but it was a start. Ginny knew now that the smartest thing to have done with that blasted ring would have been to destroy it, but she had to admit her curiosity had been just as strong as Hermione's. They hadn't destroyed the ring, hadn't left well enough alone and now Ginny had to run away with Harry Potter.

Ginny shook off her morose thoughts as she shoved the last few items into her bag, then shrunk the entire thing so that it would fit into her pocket. She refused to let her mind wander to Harry as she finished readying her home for its long vacancy. She walked around the small flat doing small mindless chores while biding her time. The refrigerator and cupboards were empty of any perishable items. The windows were all closed tight and all the faucets were turned off. She removed the timed charms from the lights and stored her broom in the closet. She dusted the fireplace mantle and straightened the cushions on the sofa. She screamed when Harry appeared with a pop in front of her.

Instinctively, Harry reached out and grabbed Ginny by the shoulders. "Shh…its just me. I couldn't have anyone see me arrive."

Ginny swallowed a hysterical giggle. Just him, it was just him? There was no _just him_. "Sorry," she said as she took a large step back from him. "I wasn't sure when you were going to arrive, but I'm ready."

Harry shoved his hands into his pocket and frowned as he took in her appearance. She looked awful, her skin was too pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. Her hair was lackluster and hung lankly around her shoulders. She was wearing a Weasley jumper that had seen better days and her Muggle jeans were stained and dirty. He felt the urge to go to her and tell her that everything would be okay, but he couldn't. He was here on business and for the time being she was his to protect. He cleared his throat. "Ron told you about the Obfuscate charm?"

Ginny nodded. Ron had explained that it was a charm Aurors often used to alter their appearance, so that they could go undercover when necessary. It was a powerful concealment charm that obscured the person's features just enough so that they were unrecognizable to those that knew them and unmemorable at the same time so that they were almost immediately forgotten after they left a person's line of sight.

Harry continued after Ginny's nod. "If I cast the charm on you and you cast it on me, we will be able to see through the charm."

Ginny pulled her wand out from her back pocket and pointed it at Harry. "_Obfuscate," _she said as she aimed her wand at his face and turned it in a slight circular motion. She watched as Harry's features seemed to blur, then righted themselves like nothing had happened. "Did it work?" she asked.

Harry nodded and pulled out his own wand and aimed it at her, uttering, "_Obfuscate._" Ginny felt momentarily light headed as the spell hit her and for a moment she thought she might lose her balance and fall to the ground, but the sensation passed quickly enough and left her staring at Harry, unsure of what to say or do.

Harry pulled a coin out of his pocket. "We will be leaving here by Portkey. There is a safe house set up for us, but I can't tell you the details of the location. Even I'm not entirely sure where it is for safety reasons."

Ginny checked her pockets to make sure she had her luggage and took one last look around her flat, hoping that she would see it again soon. "I'm ready."

Harry offered a brief, reassuring smile before he tapped his wand to the coin and said, "_Portus_."

Ginny touched the coin with her index finger and closed her eyes as she felt a tug behind her navel. Things would never be the same again.


	2. Chapter 2

Ron took Hermione's hand into his own and pulled her close. His wife was inconsolable and he felt helpless as he searched for words to make her feel better. He wound his hand into her hair and felt her head sink into his shoulder, her tears soaking through his shirt. "It's all right, love. Everything will be all right." For some reason this response only made Hermione sob harder.

After a long time, Hermione's tears began to subside and she stepped back from her husband's arms. "Everything is not all right and you know it," she said accusingly.

Ron froze as his mind began to spit out possible responses. Hermione had always been a touchy sort and Ron had never been the most tactful person in the world, but now with Hermione seven months pregnant every moment was like walking on eggshells. Added to that, the danger they were currently in, his wife was a ticking bomb waiting to explode at the utterance of a single wrong word.

When Ron didn't answer, Hermione continued, "It's all my fault. Everyone must hate me and the baby…" she trailed off as more tears overwhelmed her.

Ron put his arm around her shoulder, his hand finding her swollen stomach. "It is not all your fault," he said fiercely. "It is a matter of unfortunate circumstance and the baby will be fine. This matter will be cleared up in no time, you'll see."

Hermione laughed. "You would think that after all you have seen and been through, you would have lost some of your naiveté."

Ron bristled, feeling the desire to defend himself rise up inside of him. He wasn't naive, he was just trying to make his distraught wife feel better and she was laughing at him? Besides, he had seen a lot, he had been through a lot, both of them had and they were still alive. He wasn't about to let some bloody ring and a lunatic tear his family apart. If Voldemort hadn't succeeded in killing him off, he would be damned if one of his lackeys would succeed.

"The best the ministry has to offer is looking for Lucius Malfoy, it will only be a matter of time before he is caught."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "If you say so, _Percy_."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron shouted.

"Really, Ron, the best of the ministry have been looking for that blonde pretty boy for years and he isn't yet behind bars. Do you think just because he wants me and your sister, they are suddenly going to find him?"

Ron narrowed his blue eyes and nodded. "That's exactly what I think, Hermione. Malfoy was laying low before, but now he has a goal. He is out in the open and it will only be a matter of time."

Tears sprang to Hermione's eyes again. "I should have destroyed it."

"It's a bit late for those thoughts now, isn't it? Besides, how do you even know you could have destroyed it? You tried didn't you? The damn thing is indestructible."

"I could have destroyed it! If only I had more time…"

"Well, you'll have plenty of time to figure out how when we are in hiding."

Hermione nodded as she returned to the task of packing her office. She would find a way to destroy the ring and end this disaster.

Ginny opened her eyes when she felt her feet once again land on firm ground. She was in a sparsely decorated sitting room, dusty from disuse. She turned and surveyed her surroundings, ignoring Harry's presence as she strode around the room. There was a sofa and an armchair, a fireplace and bookshelf, a couple of lamps and a threadbare rug. She turned back to Harry and saw him watching her. If she felt a tingle in her stomach she ignored it.

"Is this where we will be staying?" she asked Harry.

"As long as it remains safe, yes."

"And how will we know what is going on? How do we communicate with people?"

"You don't, I do."

Ginny stiffened. So this was how it was going to be? She had to rely on Harry for everything. She couldn't even talk to her mum or dad? That wasn't right! She didn't deserve to be treated like a prisoner! How dare he?

As if he sensed her anger, Harry quickly spoke again, "It's for your safety, Ginny. No one can know where you are, you know that."

She did know that, damn it, but she hated the loss of freedom she felt. She hated not being in control. She hated being in this bloody room with him! "I'm going to look around the rest of the place."

"Fine. I'm going to check the wards around the place an make sure it is secure."

Ginny spun on her heel and fled the room. She found herself in a hallway and entered the door right across from the one she just left. It appeared to have been a study or perhaps a library, but all that remained of the furnishing was a dusty desk and a single lamp. The bookshelves were bare and she could make out the discoloration on the walls from paintings that must have hung for a long time, but had recently been removed.

She moved to the window behind the desk and pulled aside the curtain to peer out. Nothing. She was in the middle of nowhere. The garden immediately surrounding the house was well tended, shorn with a few plants here and there and a single large tree off to one side. The garden was contained by a drab wooden fence and beyond the fence was endless prairie with no identifying features. Never had she seen so much nothingness. Even from the Burrow, one could make out the small village in the distance, but here were just endless grasslands.

She moved back from the depressing sight outside the window and left the study to continue down the hall. The next room was a small, functional bathroom, which she quickly bypassed. The opposite side of the hall contained two rooms, both identical bedrooms with a single bed and dresser in each. Finally at the end of the hall was a kitchen with an ancient Aga stove, bare refrigerator and cupboards and a small wooden table. Ginny frowned, what were they supposed to do for food? Order out? She supposed Harry would know, apparently he had all the answers.

Ginny left the kitchen and backtracked to the first bedroom she came to and claimed it as her own. She removed her shrunken bag from her pocket and set in on the floor, withdrawing her wand she enlarged it. She couldn't bring herself to unpack because it seemed so final, so decided. As if placing her belongings in the dusty drawer and placing her slippers by the bed would make this reality all the more real. She left her bag on the floor and headed back to the sitting room.

Harry was there when she arrived; his outer robes removed revealing simple Muggle clothing similar to her own. He was sitting in the armchair staring at the cold fireplace, his expression blank. She walked quietly into the room and cleared her throat to avoid startling him.

He looked up at her and Ginny felt a wave of heat as his eyes met her. She beat it back and spoke, perhaps more abruptly than intended, "What are we supposed to eat?"

"The ministry will be sending supplies along any moment."

Ginny was caught in a moment of indecision. Part of her wanted to go back to the little bedroom and curl up on the bed until all of this went away. Another part was crying out for companionship. She hadn't really been able to talk to anyone about what had happened.

Harry spoke again, "Why don't you sit down?"

Ginny moved to the sofa and sat on the side farthest from Harry. "So, what are we supposed to do?"

Harry propped his legs up on the footstool. "Wait. For now, that's all we can do."

Ginny nodded, but remained silent. She didn't know what to say to Harry and somehow that made this situation all that much more unbearable. There was a time when she could have said anything to him. A time when she wouldn't have been sitting on the opposite side of the room, she would have been in his lap, running her hands through his hair. Now, she felt like they were strangers.

"You sure managed to get yourself into a lot of trouble, Gin," Harry said, still staring at the fireplace.

Ginny wasn't quite sure how to take that remark, so she let it pass in silence, but she could hear almost as an echo trailing after his sentence, _again_. She was in trouble again and Harry Potter was charged with saving her, again. Would her life forever be a loop of peril, followed by Harry her savior, followed by more peril and then more Harry?

Harry spoke again, this time quietly, "Do you want to give me your story? I have been briefed of course and Ron told me a little bit more than what is in the official report, but I'd like to hear it from you."

Ginny studied Harry's profile wondering why he refused to look at her. She wanted to tell him everything, but would he be in more danger if he knew the truth? "I don't know how much I should say, Harry."

"I want to know everything. No, I need to know everything." He turned and met her eyes for the barest of seconds before averting his gaze.

"Why? The information you have is plenty to do your job. Do you really need to know more?"

"Yes."

Ginny decided to stall for time, since she wasn't quite sure how much was safe for him to know. "Why don't you tell me what you already know?"

Harry's tone was blank when he began reciting the information he was given, as though he was giving a report to his superior. "While you and Hermione were conducting independent research you came into possession an artifact of a mysterious nature," he trailed off leaving room for Ginny to jump in.

Ginny shook her head and gestured for him to continue.

Harry grimaced but continued speaking, "Knowledge of the unknown artifact became known to Lucius Malfoy at which time he plotted to obtain it from Hermione's office. He attacked both of you while you were at work, bound you and proceeded to search the premises for the object."

The way Harry said it made it seem so cold and factual. He summed up one of the most terrifying moments of her life in barely a sentence. She shuddered, but didn't interrupt him.

"Ron arrived on scene during his lunch break and interrupted Malfoy, who immediately Disapparated. Ron was unable to follow his trail. At that time it became known that Hermione developed the joint Fidelius that allowed both of you to become secret-keeper for the object in question. In order for anyone to learn the whereabouts of the object, they would need both of you to impart your share of the secret. Likewise, in order to break the Fidelius Charm, they would need to kill both of you."

"That's pretty much it," Ginny said, her voice sounding rusty as she choked back the emotions Harry's speech had wrought within her.

Harry turned on her quickly. "No! That's not it, Ginny. What the hell is the artifact and why does Malfoy want it so much?"

Ginny could hear the anger in his voice and was quite frankly more than a little confused by it. She hadn't asked for any of this, she hadn't asked for him. Why would he be angry with her? "I didn't mean for any of this to happen." She had intended to sound as angry as she had, but she knew it had come off wrong. She sounded pitifully sad and hated herself for it.

Harry sighed. He stood and walked over to the sofa, taking the cushion at the opposite end. "I know you didn't, Gin. Just tell me everything."

"Aren't you in enough danger just being with me, Harry? Wouldn't you be better not knowing?"

"That's exactly why I need to know. I am in danger by just being with you, don't I deserve to know what you are willing to die to protect?"

And there it was, plain as day. Their history dragged out into the forefront. Harry hadn't forgiven her for her actions in the final battle when she had placed her life on the line to protect his own as he battled with Voldemort. She had taken a curse meant for Harry right in the chest and had nearly died as a result, but her actions had given Harry the chance to kill his nemesis. It had also given him the strength—the anger he needed to cast the killing curse. Seeing her lying there all but dead had filled him with the necessary rage, his love for her and hers for him resulted in the death of the most powerful dark wizard ever. Harry had never forgiven her for risking her own life, he hadn't forgiven her for coming to the battle that day, and he hadn't forgiven her for loving him.

Ginny could feel tears stinging her eyes as she stood and ran from the room. She wouldn't cry in front of him, not again. This was a mistake, all of it. They should have assigned another auror; she couldn't go through this again. She ran into her bedroom and slammed the door, before throwing herself down on the bed and letting the tears fall.


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione hated being pregnant. She felt horrible for thinking it, but it was true. She hated the way her body felt swollen and the way her ankles were always sore. She hated using the toilet every five minutes and not seeing her toes. But she wanted a child, Ron's child. A perfect mixture of the two of them, she just wished she could have that without the actual pregnancy part.

She also hated this dingy little cabin that they were supposed to call their home for, well however long it took to end this situation. First and foremost, it was filthy. Completely, disgustingly filthy. She had refused to let Ron unpack anything when they arrived, insisting that the entire building be Scourgifyed thoroughly—twice. The second reason she hated it was its size. It was just so small. She could walk around the entire place in a matter of seconds, well she more waddled than walked, but that was beside the point. There was nowhere for her to work in private and she had no idea how she was supposed to get any work done with Ron looking over her shoulder all the time.

But, she had gotten them both into this mess, so she was determined to make things work the best she could and to find a solution to this debacle as quickly as possible. She was not giving birth to her baby in this backwoods cabin if she had anything to say about it. That gave her a little under two months to figure out how to destroy a ring that countless others had tried to destroy throughout history and that several had lost their lives in the attempt to do so.

She looked around the newly cleaned cabin and eyed her collection of books. Perhaps she needed a few more. Oh, god could they get more books if they needed them? Her heart sunk to her knees as she felt the walls close in on her. She was trapped here and she might not have enough books.

Hermione was on the floor hyperventilating when Ron found her. "Just breathe," he said soothingly as he put his arms about her.

Hermione struggled to control her breathing, concentrating as hard as she could. A panic attack could not be good for the baby.

"Alright, love?"

Hermione nodded, struggling to find her voice. "What if I need more books?"

Ron's face broke into a grin and he let out a small chuckle. "Don't worry, the ministry will see that you have anything you need. Just let me know and I'll get it for you."

Hermione relaxed into his arms. "Good, because I was thinking that I might not have brought enough. I mean what if I had left the one book that I need to solve this problem in my lab or on the bedside table?"

Ron stood pulling Hermione with him. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her towards the bedroom. "I love you. Did you know that?"

Hermione nodded and let him carry her away. "I love you too."

"Ginny," came Harry's voice followed by a soft knocking on her door.

She must have fallen asleep since her confrontation with Harry because the room was now shrouded in shadows. She rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. It had been a long time since she had cried over what had happened between her and Harry. She thought she was over it, or at least that she had put it behind her, but now it was here staring her in the face.

He knocked again. "C'mon, Gin, open up."

Ginny rolled off the bed and straightened her clothes before making her way to the door. She flung it open to reveal Harry standing in the doorway, obscured by shadows. "What do you want?"

"Look, I'm sorry—"

"—Don't," Ginny said. "Just don't."

Harry looked into her face and could see the tear streaks still down the side of her face. He didn't know what made him say what he had said. Yes, he had meant it, but there could have been a more tactful way to say it. "The supplies have arrived. I thought we might go through it together so we could decide where we wanted everything situated?"

"Alright, I'll be out in a minute," Ginny said closing the door on him.

It was ten minutes before Ginny walked into the sitting room. Harry could tell she had freshened up a bit before she came out, something for which he was grateful. He didn't want to be reminded of his earlier blunder and it made him physically sick to see her look so distraught.

Ginny noticed several large boxes in front of the fireplace and suddenly she felt like it was Christmas morning as she fought the urge to jump in with both hands.

Harry was standing beside the boxes reading the labels on each one. "Right, well I suppose we ought to bring them into their respective rooms before we rip into him. It wouldn't make sense to open the kitchen box in the sitting room."

Ginny nodded in agreement and grabbed up a box labeled kitchen and rushed out of the room. Finally something productive to do she thought as she plopped the box down onto the kitchen table. Harry followed moments later with two more boxes.

"This is it for the kitchen," he said.

That was all Ginny needed to hear as she immediately dove into the first box, pulling out various pots and pans, dishes and cups, silverware and linens. Once she had the box unpacked she turned and eyed the cupboards, flinging each cabinet door open and examining the dirty inside. Behind her, Harry was opening another box.

A quick Scourgify later found Ginny placing dishes in the cupboard beside the sink and Harry placing canned goods in the cupboard next to the refrigerator. They worked side by side for the next hour, unpacking and placing, disagreeing on what should go where and discovering that they both liked the silverware in the same drawer. It was all so homey and Ginny let herself enjoy it. She relished in the feeling that they were playing house and slowly she felt herself relaxing around Harry for the first time in years.

After the last towel was hung in the bathroom, Ginny returned to the sitting room and collapsed onto the sofa. Today had been one rush of emotion after another and she felt drained. She looked up as Harry entered the room, taking in his form with a slow perusal. He still made her heart flutter after all this time and deep down she knew he always would.

"I'm going to bed. Did you need anything…err…I mean will you be all right?"

Ginny smiled at him and Harry felt it straight to his toes. He wouldn't wish these circumstances on either of them for the entire world, but he loved seeing her smile at him. "I'm fine, Harry. I think I'll turn in as well."

Ginny awoke the next morning feeling surprisingly refreshed. She hadn't expected to sleep well, assuming she would spend the entire night tossing back and forth, but once her head hit the pillow all the day's stress drained away and she floated off into one of the most relaxing slumbers of her life.

Stretching, she climbed from the bed, pulled on her robe and made her way to the kitchen.


End file.
